Variations on a Green Mailbox
by Basikilos
Summary: Lily and James have their very first fight as a couple. Will James accept Lily's apology? A sequel to His Guilty Secret.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me! Without J.K. Rowling's awesomeness, fanfiction like this would be impossible.

* * *

Lily sat up straight in bed. She'd been sniffling, moping about, and sighing for the past two hours and she resolved that it was high time she did something about it. She thought back to the last day at Hogwarts, of when she'd started getting angry at him for what now seemed to be the silliest reasons ever.

She had been hanging out with James and his friends at the station, waiting for the train that would bring them back to platform 9¾. They were joking around as usual, talking about their summer plans and celebrating the end of yet another school year.

* * *

"So how are you going to spend your first day of the holidays, Lily?" Sirius asked. "Please, don't say studying. You already do far too much of that during the school year."

"Oh, I'm probably just going to loaf around the house and relax. Maybe read a book or two," she replied, smirking flirtatiously at James. "How about you?"

"Read a book!?" Sirius echoed in mock horror. "Wait, people actually read those for fun?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You should try one sometime. They're really quite good, you know! And I'm not talking about some dusty Arithmancy tome. James, back me up on this!"

He ruffled his messy hair. "Um…yeah…so, books. Quidditch through the Ages isn't too bad."

Lily huffed. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah…don't worry about it, Lily," James trailed off. "Anyways, Sirius! What are you going to do tomorrow?" James asked. "Head out to the local pub to celebrate?"

"You know it," Sirius winked at James. "Remus, you're coming with me, right?"

"Well, somebody's got to make sure that you get home safely," Remus smiled. "And somebody's got to be your second when the boyfriends of all the ladies you flirt with challenge you to duels. Remember what happened last year?"

"Yeah, that was awesome! Even though I don't remember much of it…"

Remus cast Sirius a mock disapproving look. "So you don't remember how I paid your ridiculous bar tab, dragged you out of the bar, cleaned you up, and Apparated you home?"

"Not really…" Sirius grinned childishly. "But hey, this time, I'll keep it under control!" Sirius protested. "Just make sure I don't drink too much."

Remus chuckled. "No promises. You get stubborn when you're drunk. James, want to come with us? You can help me haul him away from the bar this time. Thinking back on last time, I would definitely appreciate a helping hand."

"I've got no plans. Sounds good to me." James grinned.

Lily sighed. At the time, she had waited expectantly for them to invite her – after all, she had just told them that she had no plans for the next day! – but instead, the topic changed and she had not been invited. Then, one lazy summer afternoon, her annoyance had boiled over. She and James had been eating cookies and chatting at his house, just like the old days, when Sirius had called.

"Hey," James answered his phone. "Right. I haven't forgotten, I'll be there in around an hour or two."

"Where are you two going?" Lily asked, after he had hung up.

James made a few vague motions with his hands. "Oh, just going to go hang out with Remus tonight. You know, fly around for a bit, pass the Quaffle around, play some Exploding Snaps and maybe a bit of Wizard's Chess. It'll be nice being back in the wizarding community for a bit, not having to act like a Muggle all the time."

She leaned forward, interested. "Doesn't Remus live far away? I haven't seen him all summer, mind if I tag along?"

James gave her an awkward half-smile. "We'll be doing guy stuff. I don't think you'd want to hang out with us."

Lily's voice had an edge to it now. "And what if I say that I _do_ want to hang out with you?"

He looked down at his hands and refused to meet her eyes. "Then I'll just have to tell you that you can't come."

Lily got up angrily. "Why are you acting like this? It's almost like you're ashamed to be seen with me whenever you're with your friends. First that end-of-term celebration, now this! You just don't want to be with me whenever you're with them. Am I that embarrassing to you? Well, James Potter, if this is how it's going to be, then it's over. "

James had listened to her tirade, growing steadily redder. At the end of it, he had stood up as well, shouting back at her. "What end-of-term celebration? And this is happening at Remus's house, I can't just invite you over to someone else's house! Stop being so unreasonable!"

She glared at him skeptically. "You really don't know what I'm talking about? That first day after term ended, when you three went out for drinks without me!"

"You never asked if you could come! And you don't particularly like bars and dancing. What was I supposed to do, read your mind? If you want to go somewhere, just ask!" he retorted.

"And I asked this time! But am I allowed to come? Nooooo," she drew out the last syllable, infusing it with as much contempt as she could muster.

"This is the one time you've asked!" He threw up his hands in frustration. "This time is the one time when you wouldn't be welcome! Can't you just think about it from my point of view?"

"I am thinking about it from your point of view, James, and I can't see why on earth I'm not allowed to come! I'm friends with Remus too, and I don't see why he wouldn't want me there!" she replied angrily. "But what does it matter. Either way, you don't want me to come with you, so I'm leaving now. Tell Remus I said hello." She stomped out of his house.

For the next week, she had stewed in her anger and annoyance, trying to puzzle out another possible reason for his refusal. In the end, she had come up with nothing, and resolved that it was best that their relationship had come to a close.

* * *

At least, so she had thought. Now that she knew the truth, Lily felt guilty and petty. Remus had called her two hours earlier, and told her his terrible secret. She had known that Sirius and James were Animangi but never managed to make the connection between Remus and the full moon, and now that she knew...she slammed a fist into her pillow.

"Stupid," she muttered aloud. And now that she knew, she completely understood why James had acted the way he had. How selfish and pigheaded of her to ask him to divulge Remus's secrets!

She flipped the blankets off of her legs and slipped out of bed. She had done enough moping already, and it was time for some action.

It was time for her to apologize.

* * *

A/N: It's finals week….what am I doing…


	2. Chapter 2

Lily walked down the familiar street. She had only been to James's house once, but she was sure that she would be able to find it again. After all, it was the one with the green…

She stopped suddenly and blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing.

All the mailboxes for all the houses on the street were now green.

"Oh, that _prat_!" she muttered underneath her breath.

She couldn't remember his address, and she didn't have access to a phone, so asking Remus or Sirius was out of the option. There was no helping it. She would have to go door by door and ask.

She knew for certain that his house had not been the first one on the street. She also knew that it was one of the houses on the left side.

"Well, Lily, it's time to swallow your pride," she thought to herself. She took a deep breath, walked up to the second house on the left side of the street, and rang the doorbell.

She waited, heartbeat racing, for someone to answer. After a few minutes passed, she wondered if she should ring again. Perhaps they hadn't heard? Or maybe the doorbell wasn't working. She chose to firmly knock three times.

A few more minutes passed. Lily sighed. Maybe nobody was home. This house probably wasn't the Potters' anyways, since she remembered walking a further distance than this last time. But then again, she was preoccupied with thinking about James the last time, so her memory was less than reliable. Maybe she would come back and try again later.

At the second house, a little hand pried the curtains covering the glass windows by the door aside, and a set of bright-blue eyes stared at her.

"Hello!" Lily smiled. "I'm sorry, but this seems to be the wrong house. Do you know where the Potters live?"

The little girl shook her head vehemently, golden curls flipping from side to side. "Sorry, I can't talk to you. Mommy says not to talk to strangers. Also I don't know."

"Oh, alright then," Lily trudged onward.

The next house she tried, someone immediately opened the door. A thirty-something year old man stared down at her. "What do you want?" he asked rudely. "No, I won't buy anything from you. Go away."

Lily felt heat creeping up into her cheeks. "I'm not here to sell anything! Wrong house, sorry."

The man's demeanor instantly changed. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just that we get so many of those damn door-to-door salespeople who're always getting their foot in the door and trying to sell some useless product of theirs. Who are you looking for?"

"The Potters?"

"Sorry, can't say I know them. We haven't been in this neighborhood very long, but the couple next door should know. They're the most social neighbors on the block. I'm not sure if they're home, since they mentioned that they were going on a vacation with their kids for the summer holidays. Can't say I'm too happy about all these kids coming back from school though. Gotta keep kids occupied or else they'll just resort to silly pranks to entertain themselves. Did you see? Some punk painted all the mailboxes green."

"Yeah…Didn't there used to be just one green mailbox? Is there any chance you remember which one that was?"

He shook his head. "Never noticed. Good luck." And the door shut in her face.

Lily held in another impending sigh and marched onwards to the next house.

"This'll be the last house that I try," she said thought to herself. "Hopefully the couple is still home."

She rang the doorbell, crossing her fingers behind her back.

A minute passed, then two. Lily shook her head in disappointment and turned around, heading back down the steps.

"Hey! Did you need something?"

Lily whipped back around and saw a middle-aged woman beckoning from the door. "Sorry about that, we just got back - when you knocked our hands were full with suitcases and the house was a downright mess. What do you need, dear?"

"I was wondering if you knew where the Potters' house was?" Lily asked tentatively.

"Of course! It's the second house down the street, up that a way," she pointed towards the house that Lily had tried first.

Lily hid her frustration behind a smile. "All right. Thank you very much!"

So James was ignoring her now. Or maybe he just wasn't at home, but there was no way for her to know which one it was. But Lily knew exactly what she was going to do.

Taking out a paper and pen from her bag, she scribbled out a quick note.

_Dear James,_

_I know I haven't been the most thoughtful or reasonable girlfriend recently. If you don't want to see me anymore, I understand. I don't know why I made such a mountain out of a molehill, and I recognize that you have every right to be mad. I want to say that I'm sorry, and that I hope you will forgive me._

_Love,_

Her pencil hovered above the word for a second or two. Should she write it? She flipped her pencil back and forth between the eraser end and the lead end, debating whether or not to keep it. Eventually, she set her teeth and nodded. She still loved James, and whether or not he decided to forgive her would not change that fact.

_Love,_

_Lily_

* * *

A/N: I have severe writers block. Reviews would be appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

James had been watching her from underneath his invisibility cloak.

When she first rang the doorbell to his house, he had gone to the window to see who it was. Upon seeing it was her, and still unwilling to talk to her, he donned the cloak and headed outside to follow her. He realized he was acting like a complete an utter prat, but he was still angry at her.

"It's not like I can read her mind," he muttered angrily to himself as he pushed open the back door. "How the hell am I supposed to know when she wants to come along if she doesn't say anything?" He forced his feet into his worn sneakers, using a finger to snap the heel of the shoe up. "And that whole business with Remus. She's only here to apologize because now she knows."

James grumbled some more. If Remus hadn't gone ahead and told her his secret, he had little doubt that Lily would still be avoiding him, stewing in her anger. Did she even _try _to see things from his perspective? For one of the smartest witches in their year, she could be pretty insensitive and clueless sometimes.

Still, he acknowledged, he had to give her credit for her persistence. He watched as she tried several more houses, noting her mounting frustration. The green mailbox idea had come to him as he thought about how she would go about apologizing once Remus had told him that Lily now knew. He hadn't thought that it would actually _work_. James knew it was a childish and immature thing for him to do, but, he reflected, it had been childish and immature of her to demand him to invite her to Remus's house.

But now Lily had discovered that he really lived in the first house she had tried. He leaned forward, feeling a twinge of guilty pleasure at the frustration she attempted to hide behind a smile. Now what would she do? He watched in anticipation as she began to head back up the street. She had probably given up, he presumed. But instead of continuing on the main road that would lead her back to her house, Lily turned sharply, going back through his driveway and stopping at the front door.

Curious, James followed her and watched as she whipped out a piece of paper and hastily scribbled down a note. It was probably addressed to him, he realized. He carefully stepped closer and tried to read the message over her shoulder, but to no avail. He had left his glasses inside in his hurry to follow her.

Lily stood up suddenly and James quickly took a few steps backwards, heart pounding at the close call. When she turned around and began walking away, he picked up the note from the ground and started to read.

* * *

Lily straightened up, placed the note gently on his doorstep, and turned to leave, forehead creased and mouth drawn into a resolute line. She felt like crying. Irrational, she knew, since she'd been the one who ended their relationship…but she'd been the one to end the relationship, without even _trying _to understand, without _thinking _about it from his point of view, and if he didn't ever want to talk to her again she wouldn't blame him for it, and it was all her fault, _all her fault_.

And poor Remus who must have felt forced into telling her his secret! He hadn't _had_ to tell her, but she knew him - he probably felt guilty that he was the cause of their breakup. And now she knew why his boggart took the shape of a full moon, and why James had been so reluctant to explain anything to her that evening.

She felt tears begin to well up and she started walking faster, not wanting to cry in this friendless neighborhood full of strangers. And now she was running, quickly, cutting through the grass and across his front lawn, going as fast as she could, running and running and running until somebody grabbed her hand.

* * *

A/N: Oooooh who grabbed her hand? ;O Trying to update faster . I really don't have the persistence and patience to do long stories, do I? T-T


	4. Chapter 4

AN: So...I should've listened to myself when I said I didn't like writing Lily/James. Silly me.

* * *

Lily gasped and glanced back to see James grasping her hand.

"James?" she asked incredulously. "Where did you come from? Are you here to laugh at me?"

James saw the tear streaks that went down her face, and with a sudden rising panic, he realized that more tears were welling up in her eyes. He quickly let go of her hand. "N-no!" he stuttered out, mind racing. "I…" he trailed off, "I just read your letter."

Lily scowled, acting angry. She felt as though she should be, but honestly, she was just relieved that he had finally stopped avoiding her. "Well, that was remarkably quick for someone who just got home in the past...what, thirty seconds?" She crossed her arms and glared at him. The effect was slightly spoiled, however, when she suddenly hiccupped.

He looked at her and she looked at him. Afterwards, neither of them could remember who had started giggling first, but either way, the encounter ended with both of them laughing uncontrollably, until they were gasping for air, sides aching delightfully.

"H-hey," she choked out, still trying to catch her breath. "It wasn't _that_ funny."

In a break between breaths, wiping tears from his eyes, he managed to get out the words. "I know, but I just can't stop la-" he burst out into laughter again.

A minute passed, then two. Their laughs slowly quieted down, until they were finally able to speak normally again. James ruffled his hair nervously, though the awkward tension from before was nowhere to be found now. "Look," he began. "I know that was pretty immature of me. But I felt like if I opened the door, we'd just get into a shouting match again."

Lily forced out a smile, though she was still a little angry. Why couldn't he just apologize instead of making excuses? "It's okay," (even though it really wasn't). "Well, you read my letter, and that had everything I wanted to say. I guess I'll be going home now?" she said uncertainly, hoping it would prompt him to action.

She tried not to let her relief show when it did. "W-wait!" he sputtered, grabbing her hand once more. "Lily, I'm really sorry. It was inconsiderate of me, especially since you went to all this trouble to apologize. And I accept your apology and I hope you still feel the same way…" he trailed off, looking into her eyes hopefully.

"Yes," she replied, smiling genuinely this time. "Yes I do." She intertwined her fingers with his, marveling at the warmth that emanated from his body. The sun had begun to set, lighting the sky with brilliant oranges and pinks. "I think it's about time I started heading home," she said.

He nodded. "I'll walk you back." He was still holding her hand.

She felt a quick thrill of warmth rush into her cheeks. "Thanks."

They walked together, side by side, hand in hand, never letting go.

* * *

A/N: Phew. Sorry for the meh-y ending, but I just had to finish this or it was never going to get done...in other news, I need a beta! Hahaha.


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